Targeting Mexican Americans by Presidential Candidates

I heard last week that there was criticism against the GOP presidential candidates for not attending a hispanic-centric event. I don't know if this was a debate or a forum to discuss "issues that hispanics care about."

What issues do we care about that the rest of the country doesn't? I'm not sure I'm upset that the candidates didn't attend this event. I mean what do I care about that others don't? Socialism, the war on terror, the war in Iraq, balanced budgets, smaller government, more money in my pocket than in the government's.

I believe the issues others want me to care about because I'm Mexican- American are: illegal immigration and amnesty, "rights" for illegal immigrants, bi-lingual education, and so on... Why are these THE issues for me? I care about these issues, surely, but they are not the ONLY things I care about. And, I may not take positions on these issues that one would expect given I'm Mexican-American.

Mexican-Americans (NOT Mexican-American "Leaders") care about what the rest of the country cares about. We are not any different that others when it comes to caring about our families and our and their futures.

I wish these so-called "leaders" would stop making us "different" and I wish the media would stop listening to them.